Lyons: Wallenda's next step on the wire or off?

The canyon crossing was impressive, but can we all just take a break from this wirewalking stuff now, please?

Whew. Sarasota's Nik Wallenda made it across a close cousin of the Grand Canyon on Sunday by walking a cable 1,500 feet in the air, and everyone is glad, me included.

For days I kept thinking, as usual, what it would be like for his family if the local famous-circus-guy fell to a gory death while video cameras recorded every second of the plunge so it could be watched over and over again.

He didn't. Wallenda's win streak is intact.

But his constant praying — I assume the beseeching of Jesus with every step on that cable was sincere and unlike the fake stumble that he and other wirewalkers sometimes include to add extra drama — indicates that Wallenda was genuinely fearful as he tip-toed so high above the Little Colorado River.

That's good. It means he is not totally out of touch with the instincts that keep normal people alive by steering us away from doing most crazy-dangerous things if we don't have to.

One look down that canyon convinces most people to do nothing but stand way the heck back.

One viewer tweeted that the photos alone reminded him that he is also afraid of widths. But Wallenda doesn't have enough of those instincts to stop him.

Not while people keep rewarding him for doing such nutty stuff. And that includes those of his fellow Christians who are encouraging him to think risking his neck that way is a great promo for Christianity. Is it, really?

One Wallenda appreciator tweeted that social media interest in Jesus was “trending” during Wallenda's walk, and urged people to “Retweet this if you're a Christian and unashamed to tell the world!”

Some chat sites went on in that vein, proud that one of their guys was on the wire and talking to God all the way.

There was the more than occasional dissenter. Some thought Wallenda's 60-plus mentions of Jesus was just nervous babbling, as spiritually meaningful as saying “OhGodOhGodOhGodOh

God!” all the way across.

Another said Jesus walked on water and wasn't impressed by such silly stunts as wirewalking.

Impressing Jesus was not really the point, I'm sure. But it does seem some people are kind of mixing up nervy, death-defying daredevil acts with actual heroism. It's not like Wallenda was praying for protection while bravely standing up against injustice or persecution. But publicity is publicity. A well-known jeans maker saw that.

That denim promo could work even had Wallenda fallen to his death. Who wouldn't rather die in comfortable clothes?

But would a death plunge have thrown a curve to those touting Wallenda's wirewalk as an affirmation of faith? Maybe not.

Someone would just stick with the presumptuous assumption that they knew God was behind the daring wirewalk even though they — like Wallenda — hadn't been told whether or not a surprise death plunge was part of His plan.

Wallenda lived, this time. But his very next thing was teasing his next wirewalking feat. “Wallenda wants us to tweet him what stunt he does next,” said one tweeter, who instead made a different suggestion:

“How about being a great father and retiring?”

Not likely. And it might be that Wallenda would be unable to adjust to a more mundane job.

But he sure put his family on the spot when he said he would give up tightrope walking if his wife and children ever asked him. Nik, that's weird. You are telling your wife and kids it is up to them to save you. But if they do, they are stifling you. And if they stay out of it because they know this show-off stuff is your special obsession, and then you die doing it, they will feel your death was their fault.

Wallenda will likely keep making us watch and worry, tormenting us with the possibility of a nice guy and likeable family man dying just to give us all a thrill.

But someone should at least suggest to him that ordinary jobs aren't really so bad — are they? — and that life will always provide potentially satisfying challenges.

I'm thinking of one tweeted by a Wallenda watcher who calls himself Gluteus Mikesimus, who wrote:

“Just carried the ice tray to the freezer without spilling any water.”

Well done! And Nik, that too can be done wearing jeans.

Tom Lyons can be contacted at tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com or (941) 361-4964.